Brake for centrifugal machines



B. R. WRIGHT. BRAKE FOR CENTRIFUGAL MACHINES. APPLICATION FILED APR. 15, I920.

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BERT n. WEIGHT,

]? POUGHKEEPSIE, NEW YORK, ASSIGNOR 'IO THE DE LAVAL SEEABATOR COMPANY; OF NEW YORK, N; Y., ACORPORATION OF NEW JERSEY.

BRAKE FOR'GENTRIFIU GAL MACHINES.

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Specification of Letters Patent. Pa'tzg ted Feb, 28, 1922 Application filedApril 15, 1920'. Serial No. 374,039;

. for stopping the rotation of centrifugal in removing the coupling ring.

ltiowls. The object of my invention is to provide means-tor bringing a high speed centrifugal bowl to restwithout danger of causing the separable members ofthe bowl to seize together and withoutany tendency to czmse'separation of theparts because oftheir rotative inertia.

Many of the separator bowls manufao tured by the assignee of this invention comprisesabow] shell anda bowl top secured together by an annular nuttechnically called acoupling ring. For a bowl revolving in a clockwise direction, a coupling; ring for the upper end of the bowl is made with a left hand thread and one for the bottom ofthe bowl with aright hand thread; Tnjeither case, if there were accidental contact with a stationary part of the machine the tendency would be to screw the coupling ring tighter on the bowl rather than to loosen it.

I know that it is old to provide brake shoes to rub against the bowl itself, but there are two serious objections to this practice. The friction between the shoes and the bowl generates considerable heat and causes the bowl to expand in the coupling ring which, moving rapidly through the surrounding air, is kept cooler. This results in great diiiiculty Another objection is that if the coupling ring is slightly loose and the brakes applied with excessive pressure, momentum of the ring may cause it to unscrew from the bowl creating acondition of great danger to life and property.

In the accompanying drawings, which show a preferred embodiment of my invention:

Fig. 1 is a top View of the bowl and a horizontal section through the brake and the supporting rin Fig. 2 is an elevational view of the bowl,

partlyin section, and a vertical section of the brake and part of the frame.

Fig. Bis a i'iragmentarv view SllOWll'lgOlM-i of the brakemembers inelevation.

It is a bowl shelh b the bowl top, and '0 the coupling ring. 7 d is the fraine'of the machine'and e a brake-carrfng ring, detach able'from the frame. isthe brake shoe proper, g a flat spring adaptedto force the shoe against the'bowl, and 7t, h retaining members passing through slots in the'spring g and secured 1n the ring at is the brakeretractingbolt, which extends through the rectangular lug 'j and has its horizontal dimension'greater than its VQltlCEtldlKlGIlSlOll.

On the bolt dis a handle having socket adapted 'whenthe handle isturned into one position; to fit'over and surround thelug and when the handle is turned into another position, to have its nearer together sides abut against the end of thelu andfretain the brake in its retractedposition.

When thebrake shoeis' retractedand the hand-leturned into the position shown at the left hand side of Figs/1 and 2, the brake shoe is held safely clear of the coupling ring and the bowl can be operated in the usual manner. When it is desired to stop the bowl, the operator turns each brake retracting handle to the other position, so that the socket in it can fit over the rectangular lug j and permit the spring; 9 to force the brake shoe f against the coupling ring 0, as shown at the right hand side of Figs. 1 and 2. I The force due to friction of the shoe on the ring is in the 'directionto screw the ring onto the bowl, so there is no danger of the bowl coming apart. The friction is all against the largestand the outside member of the bowl so that if, in spite of the rapid air circulation around it, there is any heating of the coupling ring, it will tend to cause easier opening of the bowl rather than to make its opening more difiicult.

After the bowl comes to rest, the brakes may be retracted and the ring 6 removed, so that the bowl may be opened and handled in the usual manner.

Having now fully described my invention, what I claim and desire to protect by Letters Patent is:

1. In a centrifugal machine, the combination with a revolvable bowl comprising a plurality of parts, one of which is of greater external diameter, and screw threading means to hold them together, of a brake shoe adapted to be pressed against thepart of greater diameter. i

2. In a centrifugal machine, the combination with a revolvable bond, of a brake shoe adapted to be pressed against the larger diameter member of the bowl, and means operable to retract the shoe from the bowl.

3. In a centrifugal machine, the combination with a supporting frame and a revolvable bowl comprising a member with a male thread and another member with a mating female thread, of a brake shoe supported from the frame, a spring adapted to cause frictional engagement of the shoe against the bowl member having the female thread, manually operable means to retract theshoe from engagement, and means to maintain the shoe retracted. V v

4. In a centrifugal machine, the combinalionwith a supporting'frame and a revolvable bowl comprising members screwed together, of a brake shoe, a spring adapted to force the shoe into frictional engagement with the female threadedmember, a handle -manually operable to'retraot the shoe from engagement, and means on the handle and the frame coactable, in one'position ofthe handle, to prevent movement of the shoe toward the bowl.

5. In a centrifugal machine, the combination with a supporting frame and a bowl comprising members screw threaded together, of a ring, separable from the frame,

nection between 7 shoe,

a brake shoe carried by the frame, means tending. toforce the shoe into'engagement with the interiorly threaded member of the bowl, and other means adapted for manual operationto retract the brake shoefrom the bowl and to maintain the shoe retracted.

6. In a centrifugal tion with a revolvable bowl comprising a plurality of parts and screw-threaded conthem, of abrake comprising a shoe and its shank, a frame in which said shank is slidable toward and from the bowl, a spring tending to press theshoe into engagement with the bowl, a handle on the shank by means of which the'shoe is retractible, said handle being turnable, and means on the frame adapted, when the handle is turned into a given position, to hold the shoeretraoted.

In a centrifugal machine, the combination with a shell, a top and a coupling ring, of a brake shoe adapted to be pressed against thecoupling. ring; a

8. In a centrifugal machine, the combination with arevolvable bowl comprising a shelha top and a coupling ring, of a brake a spring tend ng to force the shoe against thecoupling ring, manually operable meansto retract the shoe from the,

coupling ring, and means to maintain the shoe-retracted. V,

Intestimony ofwhioh invention, I have hereunto set my this 9th day of April, 1920. v

BERT R. WRIGHT.

machine, the combina-- revolvable bowl comprising a hand, at Poughkeepsie, on 

